Day care center, 2 former workers sued over ‘Fight Club’ in NJ

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Erica Kenny and Chanese White

CRANFORD, N.J. — Another family has sued two former day care workers who instigated scuffles among the children they oversaw as part of what prosecutors called a “Fight Club.”

The suit filed by the parents of a 4-year-old boy claims he suffered severe emotional distress and now receives therapy as a result of the forced fights at the Lightbridge Academy in Cranford, New Jersey.

The suit also names the center as a defendant. It seeks undisclosed damages. Another parent filed a similar suit in March.

Authorities say Erica Kenny and Chanese White forced children to fight and recorded them. About a dozen children were allegedly recorded on the videos.

Each woman was sentenced to three years’ probation after pleading guilty to child abuse charges last year. The judge told Kenny and White they knowingly or unknowingly created a “recipe for disaster” when they encouraged kids as young as four to brawl.

A Lightbridge official says the company hasn’t seen the lawsuit yet.

White declined to comment. A telephone number for Kenny couldn’t be located.